Amazon hosts secret conference for robotics, AI and space experts

A Kiva robot in action Amazon sure seems interested in being involved in the continued development of robots and artificial intelligence.The retailer held an “exclusive,” invitation-only conference for experts in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics and space exploration this week in Palm Springs, according to a report in Bloomberg. Attendees of the Machine-Learning Automation, Robotics and Space Exploration, or MARS, included representatives from Toyota Motor Corp., Rethink Robotics, as well as experts from such schools as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California at Berkeley and ETH Zurich, Bloomberg reported.. The news service said that the gathering featured “robotic arms dueling with light sabers from Star Wars, seminars about imbuing machines with human values and a celebrity appearance by film director Ron Howard (“Backdraft,” “A Beautiful Mind”).” Amazon…